CMI Team

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Mourad Ezzine, a Tunisian national, has long since been engaged with the CMI: As Sector Manager for Education, the post he held prior to joining the Center, Mourad was a prime driver of the CMI work program not only in his field, but for our knowledge economy approach, as well as for our overall strategic objectives. After joining the World Bank in 1992 as an Education Specialist in the MNA region, he has since held various positions of increasing responsibilities in Africa and MNA. Before joining the Bank, he was Director of Planning and Information Systems in the Tunisian Ministry of Education and held management level positions in a Tunisian private development bank.

Janette Uhlmann is the Senior Operations Officer of the Center for Mediterranean Integration since December 2013. She currently leads the Mediterranean Refugees and Host Communities Knowledge Action Program and works on fragility questions. Prior to this assignment, Janette worked as Senior Country Officer in the Middle East Department, and Central Africa Department at the World Bank for 6 years. Janette started her career with the German Technical Cooperation on a regional program promoting good governance in North Africa. Janette holds an M.A. in International Relations and completed a Postgraduate Program in International Affairs with a focus on the Middle East. Her Ph.D. in International Comparative Politics discussed tradeoffs for European donors in Algeria’s democratic transition process

Giulia Marchesini joined the CMI in March 2014 as Senior Partnership Specialist. She maintains and explores liaison between the Center’s founding members and partners, while managing new partnerships. In addition, Giulia manages the Center’s newly installed business area, the Mediterranean Dialogue Forum. Before joining the Bank, Giulia worked for the French Development Agency (AFD) in the Partnerships and Mediterranean departments. From 2012 to 2013 she was advisor to the French Ministry for Development where she was notably in charge of dialogue with the MENA region. Her experience in the MENA region also includes coordinating MENA economic and commercial issues for the French Ministry of Economy and Finances (2007-2009). Giulia holds master degrees in Public Administration from Ecole Nationale d'Administration in France, and International Affairs and Diplomacy from the University of Bologna in Italy.

Zein Nahas joined the CMI in January 2014 as communication officer, where she manages the visibility of the CMI through various online and offline channels. In addition, Zein manages the Center’s newly installed business area, the Mediterranean Knowledge Platform. Before joining the Bank, Zein worked as Media and Communication Associate at the United Nations Population Fund’s Lebanon country office for 4 years. Her experience in communication includes coordinating the Arabic Editions of Le Monde Diplomatique, elaborating digital strategies for the Lebanese ministries of Labor and Telecommunications and freelance journalism (As Safir newspaper, Monte Carlo Douwaliya radio, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel). Prior to that, she worked as Research Analyst on UNDP’s 2009 Arab Human Development Report. She holds master degrees in Political Sciences (Sciences Po Paris) and in Cultural Mediation (Sorbonne). She is proficient in Arabic, English and French.

Cynthia, a Malagasy and French national worked for the WB Office in Antananarivo, Madagascar before joining the CMI in 2011. She is in charge of processing financial transactions, ensuring that all activity complies with the WB guidelines. She holds a master’s degree in International Management from the Montpellier University.

Fabien Hanna joined the CMI in April 2017 as the IT and Multimedia Analyst, lending support to Communication and IT. In addition to his BS in Business Computing, Fabien has worked on web and mobile apps development. Fabien is fluent in English, Arabic and French.

Farah Abdul Sater joined the CMI in August 2015 as communication consultant, where she provides technical support and input to help enhance the visibility and outreach of the CMI. In her former assignments Farah’s worked as the Media and Communication Associate at the United Nations Population Fund’s Lebanon country office, Information Assistant at the International Labour Organization’ Regional Office for the Arab States, Social Media consultant for the Population Policies and Expatriates and Migration Department at the Arab League, as well as having managed the Communications and Fundraising unit for the United Nations Youth Association of Lebanon. She’s produced two short independent documentaries, and has been published in local and regional media outlets (Al Arabiya English, Assafir, Your Middle East, Tactical Tech, Common Ground News etc.). Farah holds a Bachelor in Laws (Lebanese University) as well as a diploma in Political Culture (Saint Joseph University, UPT). She’s laureate of the first online Francophone writing award (Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, Quebec 2008).

Gilda joined the CMI in September 2016 working for the Refugees and Host Community Program, where she supports the Host Municipalities Network’s activities and conducts research on the economic and social integration of refugees in host countries. Prior to that, she interned for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (anti-discrimination section) in Geneva, Switzerland, and volunteered in an asylum seekers’ reception center in Rixensart, Belgium. Passionate about migration issues and the Middle East, she holds a Bachelor degree in International Relations with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, a Summer School degree in International Politics from the London School of Economics, and a Master Degree in Development Studies from the University of Bologna, where she defended a thesis on the economic integration of the Mediterranean region through migration. Gilda is fluent in Italian, English, and French, and has a basic knowledge of Arabic and Spanish.

Lise Barbotte joined the CMI in October 2015 as an intern providing support to the CMI programs. As of April 2016, she has been working as a consultant for the Center’s Coordination Unit. Prior to that, Lise she was an intern with the coordinator of AFD programs at the CMI for 4 months, working on AFD-led programs at the CMI; and has worked as an administrative employee for the PACA Region. She holds a Master’s Degree in Growth and Development with a specialization in Development Economics from the Aix-Marseille School of Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Economics. She spent one year in Finland studying Economics at the University of Helsinki.

Marco Pasqualini joined the CMI in April 2015 working for the Center’s Coordination Unit. He has experience in inter-regional cooperation and regional integration, with a focus on the Mediterranean, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union. Before joining the CMI, Marco worked at the Delegation of the European Union in Saudi Arabia, at Marseille-Provence 2013 / European Capital of Culture and at the Office of Economic Cooperation for the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He holds a Master’s Degree in Law and Policies of European Integration from the Universities of Montpellier (France), Barcelona (Spain), Milan (Italy) and Szczecin (Poland) and a Bachelor Degree in Political Science and International Relations with a specialisation in History and Institutions of the Muslim World from the Catholic University of Milan (Italy). Marco is fluent in French, English, Italian, Spanish and Catalan.

In 2012 Marion Wahl joined the CMI as a Project Assistant providing support to the programmes of the CMI. Together with a small team she is looking after all the organisational and logistical aspects of the conferences in Marseille and also in the partner countries while ensuring compliance with budgetary and administrative policies of the World Bank. Prior to her current position she worked for 2 years at the International Relations Department at the Sciences Po in Aix en Provence coordinating their worldwide academic exchange programmes. Before moving to France she spent 10 years in London, Bruessels and Berlin working as a Project Coordinator at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a German political foundation and think tank.

Michael works as a consultant within the CMI’s Water and Refugee and Mobility Programs. He coordinates the CMI Water Expert Hub, conducts research and is working on raising water awareness amongst youth in the Mediterranean. He also curates the Refugees and Host Communities online Knowledge Base.

Prior to joining CMI, Michael worked at ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and worked as a freelance environmental consultant, with a focus on permaculture applied to areas threatened by desertification.

A Franco-Austrian binational, he holds an MA in Sustainable Development from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva), a MA in Social Sciences from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris) and a BA from the University of York (History and Politics). Michael speaks French, German, English, and Spanish.

Myriam Ben Ghazi joined the CMI in August 2015 as a communication consultant where she works on reinforcing the communication strategy of the CMI and on supporting the newly-established Mediterranean Knowledge Platform business area.

Prior to joining, she worked as a country local expert for Brainville, a German think-tank advising on the political and social situation of the North African region. For over two years she has conducted multiple interviews with diversified profiles and produced extensive country analyses Myriam has over four years of experience in the field of media and communication having worked as a journalist with both local and international organizations and covered important events in Tunisia and abroad.

Sara Boughedir, Tunisian and French National, is working as a World Bank consultant on the Cities & Climate change program. She holds a Master in Urban Planning from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences-po Paris) and a Masters in Sociology from the Ecole Normale Superieure of Cachan where she was a student in Social Sciences. After a one year research stay at the Political Science Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she specialized in urban sociology and urban planning, with a focus on community development and local participation to urban projects. She’s had experiences in the field in several private urban planning agencies in France and worked in Tunisia at several occasions: she conducted a review of Land Policy in Tunisia in 2012 for the CMI. She speaks French, Arabic, English, and is proficient in German and Italian.

Céline Dubreuil has 10 years experience in the water sector. After initially focusing on oceanographic research she moved into the field of international water policy. Ms. Dubreuil obtained a PhD in Marine Environmental Sciences before working for eight years for the World Water Council on a range of issues such as the right to water and the strengthening of local government and its capacity in the management of water and sanitation services. She subsequently coordinated the political process of local and regional authorities for two World Water Forums, firstly in Istanbul (2009) and thereafter in Marseille (2012). In May 2012, she joined Plan Bleu as Water Program Officer and is responsible for the development and implementation of water projects in the Mediterranean. Ms. Dubreuil and Plan Bleu support the work of the CMI on the Water Demand Management program.

After graduating from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Celine Gratadour first worked at the Ministry of Employment in France (DARES) on assessing the impact of active labor market policies and public employment services implemented in Europe, also subject of her doctoral thesis defended in 2009 at the University of Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne. From 2010 to 2012, she joined the research organization IPA (Innovation for Poverty Action) in Kenya to develop and oversee a randomized impact evaluation on access to safe drinking water in rural areas. Back in Paris, she joined the OECD as Labor Economist and then, in 2012, the Education, Vocational Training and Employment Division of the French Development Agency. Within this division, as Project Manager, she is in charge of the direction and supervision of projects on vocational training, youth employment and social protection in different countries (Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Congo, Philippines). Celine is also in charge of managing different studies with other divisions and partners on various subjects as skills for green jobs, women’s access and retention in the labor market.

Dominique Rojat has a 30 years experience in development aid including operations, research and capacity building activities. He has been working with research institutions, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for which he was a resident in Senegal, Madagascarand Cameroon, and joined the French Development Agency (AFD) in 1999. He held different positions as project or sector manager, training unit manager as well as teacher and lecturer in project economic analysis and environmental economics. He has an extensive knowledge of the Mediterraneanwhere he conducted many missions for AFD. Is currently coordinator of AFD-led partnerships at CMI, Marseille, including programs on Water Demand Management; Sustainable Urban transport, and Employment and Social Protection.

Francisco Marmolejo is the Tertiary Education Coordinator and Lead Tertiary Education Specialist at the World Bank, where he provides advice and support to country-level related projects in more than 60 countries. From 1995 to 2012, he served as founding Executive Director of the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, an international network of more than 180 higher education institutions, based at the University of Arizona, USA where he also served as Assistant Vice President, Faculty Associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education, and Research Associate at the Center for Latin American Studies. He has served as Vice President of the University of the Americas in Mexico, as well as professor at the University of San Luis Potosi and the National University of Mexico. He has been International Consultant at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and has been part of international peer review higher education teams in Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa and Asia. He serves or has served on advisory boards at a variety of universities and organizations, including the International Association of Universities, NAFSA, World Education Services, and the Centre for Higher Education Internationalization at UNICAT in Milan, Italy.

Frederic Maurel is a senior Water resources specialist at AFD, Paris. He joined AFD in 2009 after having worked for major international engineering companies in the water sector. He is responsible for AFD projects portfolio in the MENA region, and leader of the Water Demand Management program at CMI. His main duties include following the initiative for depollution of the Mediterranean Sea, reflected in several water and waste water projects funded by in the main cities, and development of sound economic and sustainable solutions for management of scarce water resources and water demand.

Hassan Mouatadid is a Programme Manager at Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Paris. He is a Senior Urban Specialist in the Local Authorities and Urban Development Division, with more than 15 years’ work experience, mainly in the urban and financial sectors, including leading partnerships with International Financial Institutions

Jacques van der Meer is Managerial Adviser at the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) Project Directorate, where he is in charge of the assessment of R&D and Innovation projects that are proposed for EIB-financing in industrial sectors (in particular automotive, steel, glass, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals) as well as in the public sector research infrastructures (like Syncrotrons, Laser Installations and the European Extreme Large Telescope) and S&T-parks, in line with the Bank's support for Europe's Lisbon Strategy and the Horizon 2020 policy.

In 2010, Jacques was seconded to EIB's technical assistance unit JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions), where he led a team of experts that provide technical assistance for project preparation in the Knowledge Economy (Education and Research Infrastructures, Science Parks, specialised healthcare, ICT and e-society projects).

His interest in Intellectual Capital and R&D dates back from his Ph.D.-study (1987), which addressed the key issues for successful R&D-strategies in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. Before joining the EIB in 1991, Jacques van der Meer lectured Strategic and Innovation Management at the Rotterdam School of Management of the Erasmus University and the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Lyon (nowadays EM de Lyon).

An urban development specialist, Lamia Zaki holds a PhD in political science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Her dissertation (defended in 2005) dealt with the political mobilizations of slum-dwellers in Casablanca (Morocco) during the 1990s and early 2000s. She was Visiting Fellow at Harvard and Georgetown Universities in 2003-2004 and 2010-2011. Between 2007 and 2010, she was a researcher for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Institut de Recherche sur le Maghreb Contemporain (IRMC) in Tunis, where she coordinated a collective research program on the role played by urban practitioners in the conception and implementation of urban policies in North Africa and the Middle East. She edited two collective books related to urban issues in the MENA region : L’action urbaine au Maghreb. Enjeux progressionnels et politiques (Paris, Karthala, 2011) and (with Pierre-Arnaud Barthel) Expérimenter la “ville durable” au sud de la Méditerranée. Chercheurs et professionnels en dialogue (La Tour-d’Aigues, L’Aube, 2011). Lamia has been working for the World Bank since 2011, working on projects related to housing and youth in Tunisia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. She joined the CMI in Marseille in April 2013.

Meinolf Spiekermann is a senior expert for urban development and local governance at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (GmbH).

From 2001 to 2008 Mr. Spiekermann has led the German contribution to the “Rehabilitation of the Old City of Aleppo” (www.udp-aleppo.org) in Syria. Before, he has managed various urban and regional development projects in Africa and lectured at German universities.

At present he is director of GIZ’s CoMun program, strengthening municipalities of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia for local and national development. The program supports innovative approaches of local authorities on urban development and on democratic governance as well as learning networks. More at www.co-mun.net.

M. Spiekermann is co-editor and co-author of “My Aleppo” (2011), a collection of individual stories about Aleppo and its society which are accompanied by authentic pictures from his and other photographers’ collections, among them some of the first ever made. More at www.edition-et.de

Jasmin Atwaa is working as an advisor in the GIZ’s CoMun program, strengthening municipalities of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia for local and national development. The program supports innovative approaches of local authorities on urban development and on democratic governance as well as learning networks. For more information, please see www.co-mun.net. She is also taking care of the cooperation between GIZ and the CMI as well as the coordination of regional conferences between the Maghreb countries, Germany and Marseille. After she finished her Islamic Studies in Bamberg, Germany in 2012, she started working in 2013 with GIZ. From 2013 -2015, she was junior advisor in the project “Sustainable Economic Development in Iraq”.

Philippe Marin

Senior Water & Sanitation Specialist, Global Water Practice

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Philippe Marin is an expert on water utilities reform and Public Private Partnerships, with 20 years of experience working on water projects in more than 40 countries. He holds a MSc in Agricultural Sciences from Institut National Agronomique Paris Grignon and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau in France. His work currently focus on water utilities in the Mediterranean, and he leads the WB participation in the CMI water program.

René Solano

Senior Social Protection Specialist, Social Protection and Labor Global Practice

Rene Leon-Solano is a senior social protection specialist in the Social Protection & Labor Global Practice of the World Bank. He works on issues related to labor markets and social assistance in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), with a special focus on post-revolution Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon. As the youth co-coordinator of the World Bank in MENA, he is in charge of overseeing the youth agenda in the region. He is the task team leader of several lending and technical assistance operations, and has authored various journal articles and reports on employment services and active labor market programs. Before joining the World Bank in 2010, he worked for the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organization of American States, where he designed, implemented, and supervised loans and grants in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is a multi-partner platform where development agencies, Governments, local authorities and civil society from around the Mediterranean convene in order to exchange knowledge, discuss public policies, and identify the solutions needed to address key challenges facing the Mediterranean region.